Getting Prepared on a Tight Budget
It’s easy to get discouraged when you think about becoming more prepared, but we want to encourage you: preparedness does not have to break the bank. And no matter what your financial circumstances, there will be things you can do to improve your readiness for challenging times.
Some people may assume that in a crisis situation that an outside organization will be there to bail them out, but history tells us that when problems arise, even well-meaning groups quickly run out of supplies or time to help.
So, it is wise to do something to prepare for yourself now, so that you have what you need then.
In this short article, we’re going to share practical tips on:
How to find or make money you can use to invest in your preparedness,
How to save money on preparedness items,
and Preparedness steps you can take that will cost you no money
How to get money to invest in preparedness
Set aside money in your budget for preparedness.
Take a look at your finances and see whether you have money you could set aside specifically to purchase items you need to be prepared.
Whether it is $10, $100, or $1,000 nearly everyone can find even a small amount of money that could be diverted from optional spending and be used to purchase items to set aside.
Not sure where to find what you could spend? Ask a trusted friend to go through your last month’s bank statement with you and help you find areas where you could find funds.
Sell unused or unwanted items
Whether your budget is tight enough that you don’t have any money you could re-purpose for preparing or you want to have more money to use to prepare, you can always find items to sell.
Here’s where to start:
Go through your home, garage, basement and round up items that you no longer use that may have sales value.
Sell those items at a garage sale, on Facebook marketplace, on Mercari, Ebay, you name it, there are many places to sell items.
Once you’ve sold some of those unwanted items, you’ll have money you can use to get the things you need.
Earn some extra cash
If you’re ready to get prepared, it might be time to add some extra earning potential to make it possible.
Some simple ways to make money to expand your ability to prepare could include:
Doing outdoor tasks such as shoveling snow, lawn maintenance, yard work, odd jobs for people in the community.
Pet sitting for people on vacation.
Have kids? You may be able to babysit a child or two in your home a few hours a week.
Take in laundry, mending, ironing
Offer to handle errands for a fee
Grab a part time job. It may not be glamorous, but for a short-term goal, you could get a lot done with a part time job.
Sell excess garden produce, handicrafts, or baked goods
Offer your services to do odd jobs or handyman work if you have skills in that area
This is certainly not an all-inclusive list but should give you an idea of where to start thinking of creative ways to add to your preparedness budget.
How to save money on preparedness items
Buy used
Obviously, this wouldn’t apply to food or medicine items, but when you are purchasing equipment, tools, or supplies, you can often buy them used and in good condition for a lot less than buying them new.
Places to look for preparedness items on the cheap include:
Garage sales/estate sales
Ebay
Mercari
Thrift shops/secondhand stores
Facebook marketplace/Craig’s list
People who may be willing to trade or barter
Buy quality
If you are purchasing tools or non-food supplies, buy the best quality you can reasonably afford.
One lesson I learned early on in my married life was purchasing the cheapest option often meant I had to replace it much faster than if I had invested a few extra dollars for a better-quality item. In a crisis situation it may not be possible to replace broken items, so just do your best to pick good quality.
You don’t want to be out trying to dig a garden with a cheap shovel, for example. But don’t worry, like we mentioned above, you can many times get really great quality at a reasonable price buying used.
Just remember: if you only have to buy it once, you’ve saved money.
Be flexible
When becoming more prepared with food storage there are many creative ways to stretch your budget while growing a deep pantry. Here are some ideas on how you can make this happen:
Let’s say you are shopping for a meal of spaghetti and meat sauce for the week. Instead of grabbing just enough for this week, maybe buy double, or triple the amount of that one meal (particularly the shelf stable parts) and then set the extras aside in your emergency pantry. Grab a few cans of vegetables to go with them and you have a balanced emergency meal set aside. You can do this with a great many simple meals.
Buy slightly bigger packages. Imagine you want to have rice this week with your meals. Instead of buying a 1 or 2 lb bag, perhaps consider purchasing a 5 or 10 lb bag and then storing the excess in a cool dry location in an airtight/bug resistant container. You can do this with many pantry staples (sugar, flour, yeast, oatmeal, cornmeal). Just start with items you know you use right now. Just build a back stock of those items.
Don’t rush out and buy a ton of things that you have never eaten before. Especially if you have kids. That is a sure way to waste food. If you want to add a particular type of food to your longer-term pantry, try a small amount of it first to see if you enjoy it.
Buy the sales. This is really key. When you see the best prices on baked beans, or baking supplies, or other foods you use grab multiples and set them aside. When you pay attention to sales you will soon learn how to maximize buying the things being sold at the best prices and building your pantry that way.
Consider trying other brands. The pandemic taught us many lessons, among them how to try different brands. In a long-term crisis brand loyalty will not be possible, so see if you can find acceptable alternatives for products you regularly use.
Don’t delay, but don’t panic
There is a sense of urgency to be more prepared that we have not seen in generations. What this means is that we should all be taking whatever steps we can now, but not panicking.
The cost of food and supplies is increasing rapidly, and anything you are able to set aside now will save you money in the future. Those supplies will not be getting cheaper in the short term, so make a plan, do not panic, and begin to add to your supplies so that you have a comfortable cushion for what may be ahead.
Preparedness steps that cost no money
Learn a skill
Between YouTube and the public library, a person could learn about nearly any subject that would make them more prepared.
Here are some ideas to consider learning about:
Cooking or baking from scratch
How to save money grocery shopping
Menu planning
Cooking without electricity
Mending clothes
Maintaining or repairing equipment or appliances
Basic mechanic work for your vehicles
How to grow a garden
Food preservation (safe canning, dehydrating, freezing)
Hunting, trapping, or fishing (and how to butcher and clean what you get)
How to deal with a power outage (short or long term)
Alternate ways to heat or cool your home
The sky is the limit, and you’ll find that you are better ready to deal with unpredictable times when you’ve invested in your own skills.
Prepare spiritually
Jesus told his disciples in John 16:33b “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It is through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we know that no matter what happens in this world, our hope and peace is in Him. If you do not know Jesus Christ, please watch this video and work on this first. Ultimately, this is the biggest core issue.
If you have a relationship with Jesus, then dig into the Word like you have never done before. We will all need the strength found in the peace that He brings in these coming days.
Work on your health and fitness
We all probably have things we already need to do to be more healthy and fit.
We aren’t here to preach to anyone about this, but if you have been putting off things in this area, now is the time to embrace doing what you need to.
You don’t want to find yourself needing strength and stamina that you don’t have at a critical moment. These sorts of abilities take time to develop, so even if it is as simple as choosing wiser options food-wise and getting more consistent activity in, don’t delay. You need your health.
We hope that this has given you some things to think about and some hope that you can make some steps towards being better prepared, even on a tight budget.
Now we know you likely have some great ideas you would add to this list, so let us know in the comments…what else should we consider?